Dog parks are some of the happiest places on earth. When I was in vet school, I didn’t have a yard and I loved taking my dog to an area where she could run off leash and socialize with other dogs. It was a great stress reliever to sit there and watch all of the happy pups playing together.

However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Sometimes there were aggressive dogs or owners, little kids that didn’t know boundaries or sad pets that were left alone in the park like it was a doggie daycare.

As a veterinarian I have been lucky to see very few emergencies from the dog park, but unfortunately there is a risk to letting your dog play with a lot other strange dogs. Here are some dangers to warn your owners about regarding the dog park.

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